Journal of Language Identity and Education 

About: Journal of Language Identity and Education is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Identity (social science) & Multilingualism. It has an ISSN identifier of 1532-7701. Over the lifetime, 723 publications have been published receiving 15004 citations. The journal is also known as: JLIE.

Theorizing Language Teacher Identity: Three Perspectives and Beyond

Abstract: Language teacher identity is an emerging subject of interest in research on language teacher education and teacher development. Yet relatively little attention has been paid to the ways in which teacher identity is theorized. The present article explores ways of theorizing language teacher identity by presenting three data-based studies of teacher identity and juxtaposing the three different theoretical frameworks that they use: Tajfel's (1978) social identity theory, Lave and Wenger's (1991) theory of situated learning, and Simon's (1995) concept of the image-text. It is seen that each theoretical perspective allows us to investigate different substantive and theoretical aspects of language teacher identity and that there are strong conceptual resonances among the different approaches. While in isolation each theory has its limitations, an openness to multiple theoretical approaches allows a richer and more useful understanding of the processes and contexts of teacher identity.

Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities: Introduction

Abstract: (2003). Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language, Identity & Education: Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 241-249.

"I Never Knew I Was a Bilingual": Reimagining Teacher Identities in TESOL

Abstract: This study examines imagined professional and linguistic communities available to preservice and in-service English as a second language and English as a foreign language teachers enrolled in one TESOL program. A discursive analysis of the students' positioning in their linguistic autobiographies suggests that the traditional discourse of linguistic competence positions students as members of one of two communities, native speakers or non-native speakers/L2 learners. The analysis also suggests that contemporary theories of bilingualism and second language acquisition, in particular Cook's (1992, 1999) notion of multicompetence, open up an alternative imagined community, that of multicompetent, bilingual, and multilingual speakers. This option allows some teachers to construe themselves and their future students as legitimate L2 users rather than as failed native speakers of the target language.

Toward a Definition of Heritage Language: Sociopolitical and Pedagogical Considerations

Abstract: Foreign language enrollments in the United States are experiencing a shift from the traditional European foreign languages toward the less commonly taught languages. Moreover, increasing numbers of students now have some degree of bilingual proficiency in the language that they are studying. As a result, much recent attention has been given to the issue of heritage language instruction by both researchers in applied linguistics and practitioners in language pedagogy. This article argues that the concepts of "heritage language" and "heritage learner" need clarification and should be placed within a larger national policy perspective. Pedagogical and sociopolitical issues surrounding the current heritage language debate are examined from a crosscultural and historical perspective. The article ends with some specific policy recommendations for the role of heritage languages and foreign languages within the current strategic context.

Beyond Plagiarism: Transgressive and Nontransgressive Intertextuality

Abstract: The debate about what constitutes plagiarism and how it should be dealt with in the academy continues to gain momentum. The response from many higher education institutions is to channel ever-increasing amounts of resources into plagiarism detection technologies, rather than trying to ascertain why plagiarism might be occurring in the first place. In this article, drawing on a wide range of data from student assignments and interviews with staff and students, we argue that it would be preferable to do away with the notion of plagiarism in favour of an understanding of transgressive and nontransgressive intertextuality. Once textual borrowings are seen in this light, we are more able to focus on the crucial issues of writing, identity, power, knowledge, disciplinary dynamics, and discourse that underlie intertextuality. We conclude that judgements about the nature of intertextuality are contextually contingent; they should also be understood as part of a broader account of institutional regulation and stud...